Thousands of dollars in cigarettes taken from Pelham business

Thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes were stolen from a store in Pelham in less than two minutes, police said.

Pelham police said surveillance video shows three people breaking into Ray's State Line Market on Mammoth Road. The burglars were hooded and facing away from the camera.

"They were in and out of the store in 1 minute, 37 seconds," said Sgt. Anne Perriello.

Perriello said the speed with which the burglars worked makes it likely that they had been in the store before and knew exactly what they wanted and where to go.

"One went straight to the office, the other to the petty cash and then together, they carried out cases of cigarettes," she said.

Perriello said the stolen cigarettes are worth more than $14,000. Police said cigarettes have become a more common target for several reasons.

"That's something that can be sold on the streets, so people can make quick money, and they are hard to track," Perriello said. "It's not like a pawned item."

Along with the cigarettes, $1,000 in cash was also taken. Police said the burglars showed up in a van, and the three worked together to pry open the door.

Investigators said burglaries in the area have been on the rise recently.

"I know Nashua had a series of commercial breaks the other night, the night before this took place, actually," Perriello said. "One way or another, they are all connected. They are paying attention to what the pricey items are."

Anyone with information is asked to call Pelham police.

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